Marmalade Boy Fan Fiction ❯ Lonely Hearts ❯ Pondering ( Chapter 5 )

New York is a fascinating city, and I enjoyed Yuu's tour, but I couldn't help feeling a bit like a voyeur while he showed us around. His normal demeanor is so reticent that it was odd to see him ebullient. I couldn't blame him though; he'd thought that he had lost Miki forever, then, like a pardon from heaven, she gets delivered to him, all but gift-wrapped.

"They deserve to be happy." Meiko's soft voice surprised me.

"They certainly do, as do you." Looking at the girl I'd once pursued I felt no regret, only a sincere wish for her happiness. The romantic mood of the morning was beginning to wear on me a bit. I called to Yuu: "You two are happy, Akizuki's happy, and I'll bet Jinny, Bill, Doris and Brian are all thrilled too. Do you think you could give a poor single guy a break and feed him?" Everyone laughed, as I'd expected, and we stopped at a small sandwich shop, electing to bring our purchases back to Yuu's dorm to eat.

"Yuu, where do you eat when you're in school?" Miki asked him.

"There's a kitchen in the dorm, and sometimes we all go out together. We take turns cooking too. I'm getting better, so you don't have to worry that I'll starve if I have to depend on your cooking."

"Yuu!" Miki's protest was mostly feigned, but I saw her pout a bit before Yuu grinned and took her hand.

"Yuu, can you show me the kitchen when we get back?" Miki asked a few moments later. "Maybe it will inspire me. Isn't American food easier to cook?"

"Miki, I'll do anything to improve your cooking. It'll certainly help me lower my stress level. Not having to cook every night might give me time to study." Yuu gently tweaked Miki's nose and we all started laughing. With the whole party in a jovial mood we arrived at the dormitory and entered. I followed the bulk of the party into the living room where the reconciliation had taken place the day before, and we began eating. Miki and Meiko had gotten directions about the whereabouts of the kitchen from Yuu, and they headed off in that direction. They weren't gone for very long before Yuu followed them. A few moments after he left I heard him laugh loudly.

"I wonder what Yuu's laughing about." Doris asked Brian.

"I have no idea. We should go find out." With that they and Bill left the room. With a shrug at Jinny I finished my lunch and did the same. All the commotion had been caused by the group clamoring for Elizabeth to give a tour of campus. I expected her to demur, especially in light of her recent illness.

Her quiet agreement startled me, and bothered me on a very deep level. I wanted to lash out at the people who had asked this of her, but it was not my place. I had to content myself with joining the group.

After Jinny and I began to follow everyone else, she drifted off to walk next to Bill, and I stayed with Meiko on the outskirts of the group, so it wasn't until we'd already gotten started that I saw Elizabeth properly. I was relieved to see that the only indications of her collapse last night were clothes slightly warmer than the weather demanded, and a leisurely pace to the tour. As we meandered about campus I was struck by her manner. She was so self-possessed that it was hard to imagine her ever losing control. I found myself trying to reconcile the woman in front of me with the one I'd held ever so briefly last night. I had been correct in one thing, she was immeasurably more attractive while awake, with intelligence sparkling in her eyes. I watched her give the tour, with her entire person dedicated to conveying information, and I wanted her as a teacher.

As the informal tour continued I paid very little attention to the campus around us, focusing instead on the young woman speaking, rather than her words. I was attracted to her, of that I was certain, but I could not quite pinpoint the source of the attraction. Everything about her made me want to be a part of her life. When she stumbled, I wanted it to be my arm she blindly groped for; when she looked longingly towards the chemistry building, I wanted to understand her academic obsession. The dichotomy of beauty and brains that I'd assumed was present earlier had blurred, and the idea was slowly forming that I wanted this young woman in every possible way, both to possess her, and to be possessed by her.

With Meiko it had been different; I had seen a beautiful girl one day and decided to pursue her. When I caught a vulnerable moment I took advantage of it, with the fortunate consequence of pushing her toward the realization of her potential as a writer. Remembering my past antics in the library brought a smile to my face, and I involuntarily looked towards Meiko, only to be shocked to see her walking away. I followed, and caught her arm just before she entered a tall building.

"What're you doing?" I asked her.

"Weren't you paying attention at all?" she smiled softly. "This is the library. I wanted to look inside for a bit. Elizabeth's taking them back to the dorm."

"Oh. I should have known." With an odd sense of familiarity I trailed behind Meiko as she wandered through the maze of shelves, occasionally pausing to reverently touch a spine, or to read a passage. When we finally left dusk was beginning to fall.

"Are you sure this is the way back, Meiko? It's getting late."

"Yes Satoshi-kun, this is the way back. Unlike some people I was paying attention during the tour." With a snort I kept following her, then saw the outline of a familiar building. She had been right.

"Miwa-san, Meiko, where were you?" Miki called out worriedly from the doorway. "We were about to leave for dinner without you."

"I wanted to see the library." Meiko explained. Miki's only response was a look of fond indulgence as she led her friend into the dorm. Following them inside I immediately noticed that Elizabeth was no longer in their company. Trying to catch Yuu's attention failed, so I approached Brian and Bill.

"Have you seen Elizabeth?"

"No, she left when we got back." Bill answered after some thought.

"Did she tell anyone where she was going?"

"I don't think so, she just walked off, toward the back once we were all inside. She didn't say anything." Brian seemed unperturbed by this. Without another word I nodded at them and walked over to join Yuu and Miki. Throughout dinner, which I do not remember, I was niggled by a small amount of worry. I do believe that I was hurt because she hadn't told me that she was leaving. It was an irrational thought, but I could not dispel it.

After dinner the group decided to go dancing, and Yuu obligingly led us to a cozy little club, with a dance floor and good drink selection. My inattention may have been noticed, but was not commented upon by the party, even as I squired each lady in turn about the dance floor. Because of all the partner exchanging going on upon the dance floor, it was not hard to relinquish Doris to Bill after a time and to return to the table which we'd laid claim to. It was there that I was sitting, nursing a drink with a paper umbrella in it that Meiko'd ordered for me when the DJ made a curious announcement.

"All right, I hope all your bets have been placed. It's now five minutes until nine, and I'll turn the speakers over to the campus station so that we can hear Joel's broadcast, and hopefully, for the sake of my bet, also hear from his new friend." The confusion I felt at this announcement must have been evident on my face, for when the waitress came by a few moments later she commented on it.

"You look confused."

"To what is the DJ referring?" I asked her. She gained a knowing look and answered me warmly.

"For the past week or so a young lady has been calling Joel, the late evening DJ on the campus station, every night at about nine. She doesn't give her real name, just calls herself Tsutami, and they talk about the most interesting things."

"That doesn't seem that unusual. After all, it is a common Japanese name."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't, but Joel really enjoyed talking to her the first night, so he aired the taped conversation. If you heard her you'd know that wherever she's from, it's probably not Japan. She called back the next night and they got into a bit of a spat, but it was live. Since then he keeps the lines open, and when she calls he makes like she's another host. It's fascinating to hear her speak. Maybe you'll get the pleasure this evening." I was about to ask another question when a male voice boomed across the room.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Joel, coming to you directly from the studios of your campus station, where I'm joined by phone with our fabulously unexpected guest, the unfettered mistress of nine o'clock, Tsutami." A roar of pleasure came from the darkened dance floor. Someone had won his bet.

"Joel, you spout hyperbole almost as much as a man in love might." The responding feminine voice was slightly husky, and brought to mind predators in the forest.

"Who's to say I haven't fallen in love?"

"If you did that on such short notice I'd have to lose my respect for you."

"What on earth does the time frame have to do with your respect for me? Love is love, after all."

"I beg to differ. Attraction, lust, romance and attachment all seem to fall under the domain of love these days. Since you were not in love last night, I can only surmise that you are not in love tonight, or if you insist upon deluding yourself into thinking so, then you must be experiencing a different feeling." Her voice wasn't stern, but she sounded adamant.

"You wound me, milady. Have you no belief in love at first sight, or the uniting of twin souls in a single glance?" He was baiting her.

"I am the only one that has been wounded. I can only assume that you've met someone else and it is only a matter of time before I am summarily cast aside. After all, you've never seen me. Failing that, you have been reading Shakespeare again, haven't you?" Her voice was clipped, but held an accent that was distinctly not from New York. I wanted to call it British, but it didn't quite fit.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I have not. I have been swept away into a whirlwind of romance and magic. Physical sight is merely a plebian detail." It sounded as though he had spread his arms wide when speaking, and probably closed his eyes. If he'd hoped for a reaction, he got one, but not one that anyone expected.

"Joel," was all she got out before she began to chuckle. It was a rich dark sound that curled its way into my chest and wrapped around my heart, warming it. "Romance is a term only applicable to literature now. As anything else it is in the last stages of death, trammeled by centuries of overuse and trite sentiment. It cheapens you to even suggest you've been influenced by it." Her voice had grown hard on the last sentence, and Joel seemed to catch that.

"I beg you pardon. I meant only to jest with you. I have been reading the Bard, and I suppose my wish has, in a small way been granted. I had hoped to speak of his Dark Lady with you, my own lady of the evening."

"Your flattery is stunningly obvious." The humor was back in her voice and I belatedly realized that there had never been malice in the conversation. This was a sparring match, between two masters. I could see why people enjoyed listening to them talk, if this was even a small representation. "But I shall accept your apology, if you'll grant me a request."

"What's the lady's pleasure tonight?"

"I think I should make my point one last time. Could you play Gunning Down Romance, by Savage Garden?"

"Tsutami, I'd be happy to. How will it help your point though?"

"Listen to the song. It'll be obvious."

A soft click indicated that she'd ended the call. After a moment of silence the song began to play, and I realized what she'd meant. With a grin I turned towards the dance floor, wishing Joel luck in pursuing his lady, and intending to find Meiko for a partner before we headed back. As I looked for her I caught a glimpse of a graceful brunette moving purposefully toward the door. My first thought was of Elizabeth, but closer inspection revealed the woman to be a stranger. As it had happened before, my thoughts diverged and I wondered first where she was, and then why I was wondering about it. It was in this pensive state that Meiko found me and dragged me towards the exit. We dropped off Yuu and returned to our hotel suite, and by that time I'd pushed Elizabeth sufficiently far enough from my thoughts to carry on normal social interactions before we all retired.

The next morning got off to a slow start. After the activity of the night before Miki made a late morning of it, frustrating Meiko to no end. When we'd all finally gathered in the late morning and begun to eat breakfast Yuu called, inviting everyone to come shopping with him. Miki and Meiko agreed, wanting to find souvenirs, and they scrambled to get ready.

As the girls were getting ready the telephone rang again. When neither of them made any move towards it I answered.

"Hello?"

"Oh, I'm glad you picked up Satoshi. It's Yuu. It seems like Doris and Jinny had plans for the day, so Brian and Bill wanted to invite you to come over to enjoy their company."

"That sounds pretty good. I didn't have anything planned for being alone, and no offense intended, but I'd rather not go souvenir shopping. Perhaps the three of us will venture into the city."

"Sure, I'll let all of you work it out, so long as you're all back and tidied up for the musical. The girls will commit murder if I'm the only escort. Just come over with Miki and Meiko, why don't you?" I agreed and hung up. In short order out trio was in the lobby of our hotel, waiting for a taxi.

"What are your plans Satoshi?" Akizuki asked me conversationally.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I suspect Yuu exerted some pressure on his friends to prevent my being left alone."

"Maybe he's just trying to get you on campus." Miki piped up.

"What?" Initially I was flabbergasted, but as I mulled over exactly why Yuu might want me on campus, an image of a young woman sprung immediately to mind. "I refuse to believe that."

"Believe what?" Akizuki's reply to what I thought had remained internal disconcerted me. I was unwilling to tell the truth

"It's of no consequence. Look, here's our taxi." Stepping forward I ushered them inside and we made the short trip in silence. Upon our arrival Yuu bounded down the stairs before the taxi came to a halt.

"Okay, don't forget we're going to Jinny's mother's production of The Phantom of the Opera tonight." He spoke partly to me and partly to the girls seated behind me."

"What time does it start?" Miki asked, looking worried that she wouldn't have enough shopping time.

"It starts at eight, and the girls told us to meet here at six, but that we should eat before we met up."

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as you take Miki and I back to the hotel a bit early so we can change." Akizuki was being practical. As I exited the vehicle Yuu took my place and replied.

"Not a problem. We'll see you at six then, gentlemen." With a wave Yuu and the girls departed, leaving Brian, Bill and I alone on the front steps.

"Satoshi, have you been to New York before?" Brian turned to me and asked.

"Yes, actually, I've come a few times when my father had meetings here, and he sent me over last year to meet some business friends of his, but I spent all my time either in meetings or at restaurants. I don't know about any of the tourist attractions here. Why do you ask?"

His face fell a bit. "I had been hoping that you might have some ideas of what we could do while the girls are gone. I'm a bit at a loss these days when the girls are gone and I'm not in the gym"

I wanted to see Elizabeth, but that wasn't an option. After she'd disappeared yesterday I wasn't sure if she enjoyed being in our group's company, and the absence of other females would certainly look suspicious. I hastily wracked my brain, trying to thin of some New York attraction that we could visit, but drew a blank.

"Why don't we go to a museum?" Brian suggested quietly. At Bill's incredulous look he continued in a slightly defensive manner. "Doris has been talking all week about an exhibit they have as the Metropolitan. She got me interested in it."

"That sounds good." Bill remarked, "Who knows, there're always lots of girls at the museum on Sundays, maybe we can find someone for Satoshi here. Shall we get going?" With a wink at me her stood up and started walked towards the gates.

"Where are you going? The lot's in back, you know that."

"But your car's with Doris, remember?" Bill's reply, floating back on the wind a bit, galvanized Brian and I to stand up and follow him, the three of us making our way to one of the country's most famous museums.